Tech

New iOS 7 Beta Brings iPad Support

Apple has seeded the second iOS 7 beta to developers and that beta now includes an iPad version.

When iOS 7 was revealed onstage at WWDC earlier this month, the iPad was conspicuously missing in any of the demos. The first developer beta also omitted iPad support.

The iPad wasn't even featured in any of the extensive screenshots on Apple's dedicated iOS 7 web page — aside from a nearly hidden reference — leading many to conclude that the larger-screen variant of iOS 7 just wasn't ready for beta consumption.

What do you think of how iOS 7 is coming together? Let us know in the comments.

Hands On With iOS 7

Starting Up

From the moment iOS 7 loads, its clear this is different. The linen that infused iOS 5 and iOS 6 is gone, replaced with white and thin sans serif typography.

A Splash of Color

While white is a predominant theme in iOS 7, this is not a monochrome OS. Color accents are almost always visible.

The New Home Screen

For the first time since the original iPhone, the overall look and icon structure of iOS is now new and fresh.

The wallpaper can now be dynamic or static. Dynamic wallpaper is similar to the animated wallpaper in Android, except it doesn't interact with your finger. The default wallpaper is static.

A Cleaner Inbox

Mail has received a full revamp to both its main view and the compose screen.

New Integrated Services

Flickr and Vimeo join Facebook and Twitter as built-in services.

Folders and Control Center

Swiping up from the bottom brings up the Control Center. This is an easy way to access your most used settings, including WiFi, audio, brightness and quick access to alarm, a calculator, camera and flashlight.

Meanwhile, photos can now store more items and span pages.

Camera Options

The new camera interface has a number of options built-in. Swiping across the bottom brings up options for the standard camera or the video camera.

Instagram Friendly

There is a new square mode on the camera, perfect for Instagram. The panorama mode is still here too.

Houston We Have Filters

Apple also has its own filters built-into iOS 7. Rather than simply applying a filter in post, these filters are actually real-time and you can look through the viewfinder in that filter before taking a shot.

Stocks and Notes

The Stocks app looks totally fresh. Notes also has a new coat of paint. The texture is still there but the yellow lined paper and Marker Felt are a thing of the past.

iTunes and Wish Lists

iTunes and the App Store both have new designs. Additionally, Apple has introduced a new Wish List feature on mobile, making it easy for users to save an app to buy later.

App Store

The App Store structure is still the same but the look is more fresh. In addition to the general charts, users can also check to see what apps are popular in their area.

Sharing Or Adding to a Wishlist

A new share button shows off what you can do with an app which includes AirDrop and adding it to a wishlist.

Passbook and News Stand

Both look fresh.

Lock Screen

The Lock screen no longer has anything to slide to unlock, just swipe to the right.

You can choose to make Control Center available at the lock screen or not.

Notifications and Weather

Pulling down from the top still brings up notifications, only now without linen and with a history.

The weather app is beautiful and animated.

Reminders

Reminders is now more robust in its appearance. There are different groups of reminders, not just lists.

The new reminder screen also has a refined look. It still has texture, but the lines are less bold.

Compass

The compass looks totally new and totally great.

Switching Apps

Double tapping home brings up full screen previews of various apps. Scroll back and forth and see previews of your apps in real-time.

Some might say this is copying Window Phone, but really, this look was pioneered by Palm with the late, great, webOS.

Dialer and Messages

The dialer and the iMessage interface follow the new trends of being bright and with lots fo color.

Notifications

Notifications pop-up in dark now, not white.

Calendar

The calendar is de-leathered and has a very Google+ look.

Calendar Inbox

The calendar gets a proper inbox for incoming invitations.

Maps

Apple Maps has toned down some of its textures but the basic app looks very similar.

Directions

The directions page in Maps has been rebuilt and it looks much more sleek.

Calculator and Clock

The calculator still pays homage to the great HP calculators of the 70s, but with fewer bevels.

As for the clock, gone is that patent-infringing world clock look.

Alarms and Stopwatch

Check out the 3D effect when picking a time.

Timer and Settings

The timer is totally new too. This is what one of the standard settings pages looks like.

Safari

The bookmarks section for Safari is texture free but full of color.

The search and URL omnibox makes a glorious return (it was separated with iOS 3 back in 2009).

The whole look of this browser would look equally at home at Mountain View as it does in Cupertino.

Searching and Loading a Page

Typing in a URL or string of text offers up real-time suggestions for an address or search query.

The thin bar at the top of the screen indicates page load progress.

Tabs

It's like Cover Flow, but vertical!

FaceTime Audio

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.